We use to love dim sum! But vegan options are hard to come by at typical Chinese dim sum restaurants. Since we were craving some char siu baos, a soft steamed bun with bbq pork, we decided to create this vegan version of a classic dim sum favourite. And you know what? It tastes amazing!

In this recipe we used canned young green jackfruit to mimic the char siu pork and it works wonderfully. The texture is spot-on. If you are unable to find young green jackfruit, feel free to substitute it with tofu, seitan or meat alternative of your choice. The sauce is what gives this dish it's classic Chinese BBQ flavour. Make sure you hunt down Chinese 5-spice powder (or make your own blend), it's essential for the char siu flavour.

This recipe makes 6 baos. In the video, we doubled the recipe and made 12.

*We've always used all purpose flour to make these types of Chinese baos and it had never failed us. Not sure how other flours will turn out in this recipe in terms of softness and fluffiness of the buns after streaming but feel free to experiment!

To make the dough, mix 1 tablespoon of sugar and yeast with warm water and allowed to rest for 10 minutes until foamy. Mix flour, cornstarch, sugar and salt. Make a well and pour in yeast mixture, vinegar and oil. Knead for 5 minutes until a smooth ball forms. Place in an lightly oil bowl, cover and allow to rise for an hour and a half or until doubled in size. You will need the baking powder later, do not mix it in now.

To make the vegan jackfruit char siu, mix ketchup, hoisin, soy sauces, sesame oil and spices. Add a drop of liquid smoke if desired. Rinse and squeeze out excess water from jackfruit. Cut off hard core and shred top portion with hands. Cut the core into small pieces. On medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil into a pan, add jackfruit and fry for 5 minutes. Add sauce mixture and fry for 10 minutes. If mixture gets too dry while frying you can add a bit of water at a time. Set mixture aside while dough rises.

Once dough has doubled in size punch out all the air. Form a 1-inch disk and evenly sprinkle baking powder. Knead dough for 3 to 4 minutes to fully incorporate baking powder. Roll into a cylinder and cut 6 even pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and roll out each ball to a 6 inch circle, about 1/2 centimeter thick. Fill each circle with 3 tablespoons of jackfruit filling. Pleat around the edge of the circle to bring in all the sides, push filling into the middle as you pleat. When you reach the end pinch and twist the top to seal. Place each bun on a square of parchment paper and steam for 10 minutes on medium heat. Do not open the lid while buns are steaming to get extra fluffy soft buns. Enjoy!

Char siu baos can be reheated and eaten the next day. Just microwave for 20-30 seconds or steam for 3-4 minutes.

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